Page 18 of Her Whole Heart
He bowed to them both this time and turned to depart. The last thing he heard as the door swung closed behind him was Miss Hamilton exclaiming, “Mr. Abernathy, that novel is exactly the one Elizabeth has been wishing to read! Please put it on my account.”
Elizabeth walked into Gunter’s a half step behind Amelia, who had already spotted Mr. Darcy standing by a table near the back of the establishment.
“I ordered tea,” he said as he welcomed them both. “The air is rather biting today.”
It was, in fact, the coldest January Elizabeth could recall, and she was glad to have something warm to drink awaiting her as she sat down. It was thoughtful of Mr. Darcy, though perhaps he had simply wished for tea as well.
“Do you think the rain shall turn to snow?” Amelia was asking Mr. Darcy.
“I would not doubt it,” he replied easily. “But the real trouble shall be the ice.”
So hewascapable of polite conversation. Why could he not be polite with her? Elizabeth focused her attention on her tea and the cake that was brought over a few moments later. She had a moment of panic when she recalled her empty coin purse, but surely Mr. Darcy would pay for their tea. He had been the one to order, and whatever else she might think about him, the man did care for appearances. Still, when he inquired whether she or Amelia wished for anything else, she demurred.
Amelia, however, did request another pot of tea and, with a wink at Elizabeth, lemon marzipan. Elizabeth did not hesitate to avail herself of both when they were offered. When her friend eventually rose to ask Laramie to watch for the carriage, Mr. Darcy leaned slightly forward.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said, his voice lowered but not so quiet that anyone would accuse him of saying something inappropriate, “please do not think I wish to disparage your kind act earlier, but I suggest you not use coins for any significant purchases while in town.”
Annoyed that he would find something in her behaviour this morning to criticise, she pitched her voice to meet his own. “And why is that, sir?”
“Because, madam, most refined ladies do not use coins when they shop in the better establishments unless the purchase is very small. They have accounts at the bank and lines of credit with the merchant.”
Elizabeth knew this was not entirely true, for she had seen refined ladies in her aunt’s circle use coins when shopping, but she recalled Mr. Abernathy’s surprise at her wishing to pay for her books and thought perhaps ladies of the ton were different. “Most but not all?”
“I saymostbecause I know you to be a refined lady, Miss Elizabeth, and yet you used coins to make your purchase.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “A guinea and five shillings, Mr. Darcy. It was hardly as though I turned over my reticule and shook it out.”
His frown told her Mr. Darcy felt that it had not been far off.
“It is not only your own reputation you may injure, Miss Elizabeth.”
This truly was beyond enough. “I assure you that my sister—”
“I meant the earl.”
That brought her up short.
“You are a member of his household for as long as you remain with him, and when a guest of his uses shillings in a Mayfair shop it does not reflectwell on him. If you truly wish to use ready money for a small purchase, it ought to be in tokens, not gold and silver, for those are needed for the war.”
She had not known that. Papa had paid them their pocket allowances in coins, and she and Jane had hoarded them against the day they would be in London for the season. “Very well,” she acquiesced. “I shall remember that.” She would, however, confirm this with the countess. Why would women net purses for their coins if they never meant to carry them?
Amelia returned in time for Mr. Darcy to help her into her cloak. He turned to Elizabeth next, which she had not expected. Still, she allowed him to place the cloak around her shoulders, and as she reached up to tie it closed, she smelled sandalwood, bergamot, orange, and a kind of musk. It was unfair that such a vexing man should smell so lovely.
Mr. Darcy escorted her and Amelia to their carriage, followed by Laramie, who held an umbrella over them. They were soon inside, and Elizabeth looked back at Mr. Darcy. He stood in the rain, watching their coach prepare to depart. She had to admit that he appeared elegant and commanding in his greatcoat and beaver.
“He is very handsome,” Amelia said.
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, still looking. “It is a terrible shame he is so unpleasant.”
Amelia made a little humming sound that was irritatingly neutral. If her friend liked the man, Elizabeth would simply have to put up with him.
As their carriage pulled away from the pavement into the stream of other conveyances in the road, Mr. Darcy strolled to a large black coach a few doors down from Gunter’s and stepped inside.
Then they were turning the corner, and she lost sight of him.
Chapter Seven
Darcy handed his gloves and hat to Mr. Yardley, still thinking about Miss Elizabeth. She was obstinate, but thankfully not lost to all good sense. Still, acting a friend to this woman would not be a simple thing. Had there been time, he would have liked to add a second recommendation to his advice about the coins—that she not turn every attempt at a pleasantry into a lengthy deliberation, as very few men would be as patient with her little lecture on logic as he had been. She was clever, to be sure, but there were better, more feminine ways to display that intelligence. Miss Elizabeth was not a relation, however, and that sort of discussion was something the earl, or better still, the countess, ought to take up with her. He would compose a note to Lord Carlisle explaining his interaction with Miss Elizabeth today. The earl had tasked him with being the woman’s friend, and this would certainly qualify. He entered his study and sat down to write.
